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The lifespan of a blog.

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Cornerstone Business Group Inc 0225086119

Blogs, like any written material, have a shelf-life. Some are short-term, others are long-term, and most of us, whether intentional or not, write both versions. Think about literature. Most of us could name a book by Charles Dickens, or Mark Twain or Edgar Allen Poe. I imagine seeing those names immediately stirred a title or a quote in your mind. I went to "The Raven" instantly. 

Now, think about the one million books you find on Amazon. How many authors or titles can you think of close to a million. Probably not many, though you may know a bunch. Why? Of course, you haven't been exposed to most, but why would you know A Christmas Carol and not Objective-Oriented Java Script by Ved Antonia and Stoyan Stefnor? Two reasons, basically. One, A Christmas Carol is a timeless tale about life. It continues to inspire the good in all of us, whereas, Objective-Oriented Java Script is not something that affects everyone of us and it is valuable for a period in time.

Your blogs are just like that. Look back through your blog roll and see which ones rank the highest. I bet you find that they are the ones that will be timeless (at least to a point). They will be about clients relations, circumstances, both good and bad, and how you handled them, techniques to secure leads and things that affect your daily life. They will be local sights and historically important things about your community. They will be about emotion and triumph.

I still remember a line by Dick Greenberg from many years ago encouraging us to "be the pig." But, I don't remember Dick's market reports. I know he does great ones, and I'm always impressed with his content and format, and I've followed in his footsteps, but why don't I remember them? They're not for me. They're for people searching for homes in Fort Collins, CO.

Now, look at the low ranking blogs. They will be about market reports and local events. They rank high for the immediate time around the release and then they trim off hits as time moves away from the information. And, you know what? That's how they're designed. They are to attract the attention of the "then interested" web-searcher who is trying to gather information about your community. 

Those types of blogs are short-term. They serve a very distinct purpose, and when that purpose is fulfilled, they will garner minimal attention, but that is what Objective-Oriented Java Script is all about. It's answering questions for the moment. It's important to those who need that information right now. They won't need it in five years. They need it today.

You want to write both types of blogs. You want some to be timeless (or as timeless as possible), and you want some to be short-term. Both have an audience, and both draw attention to your wit, wisdom and expertise. I encourage everyone to write market reports and about local events. They're the Java Script of the real estate world, but you should also write about great client relations, extraordinary events and cats. People love reading about cats, but they also want an agent who is great to work with. Blogs have a lifespan and you are nurturing it on both ends of it. 

Comments(31)

Janice Zaltman
United Realty Group - Boca Raton, FL
Energy Efficient And Eco-Friendly Homes in Florida

Great post Mike Cooper . Think it is also important to look at our tags and seo as we can get hidden, no matter how good the post with the tons of new blogs that come out each day.

 

Mar 21, 2018 05:28 PM
Alesha A. Wilson, M.Ed.
Buy and Sell Oklahoma LLC - Oklahoma City, OK
Buy and Sell Real Estate with Confidence

Love this post Mike Cooper.  Thank you for the reminder and encouragement to post with both short and long term in mind.  Congratulations on the Feature!  

Mar 21, 2018 07:08 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good evening Mike,

Congratulations on a well deserved featured post! A great reminder to keep in mind the importance and difference of the long and short term posts!

Mar 21, 2018 07:58 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Mike I would have missed your post if it was not for Anna Banana Kruchten CRB, CRS, Broker  just to support what you say, I have a handful of posts that people call me on,  or  email me and indeed they are timeless wrote them about eight or ten years ago still generating activity....Endre

Mar 21, 2018 10:31 PM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Morning Mike.

Congratulations on the feature, very well written.  I still have some blogs written years ago that is being read.

Mar 22, 2018 01:54 AM
Sham Reddy CRS
Howard Hanna RE Services, Dayton, OH - Dayton, OH
CRS

I still get comments on blogs I wrote 5-7 years ago!!!

Look back through your blog roll and see which ones rank the highest. They will be about clients relations, circumstances, both good and bad, and how you handled them, techniques to secure leads and things that affect your daily life

Mar 22, 2018 04:07 AM
Foster Smith Summerville
Carolina One Real Estate - Summerville, SC
Summerville & Charleston Homes for Sale SC Realtor

Those of us that have blogged for 8+ years get the advantage of looking back and seeing what worked and what the readers enjoyed and writing more like that in the future.

Mar 22, 2018 04:27 AM
Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

Mike, I sometimes look back to see what is ranking higher and try to produce more blogs like those. They are usually community related. 

Mar 22, 2018 04:50 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

Good point! We do write both short-term and long-term material, and both are needed!

Mar 22, 2018 04:51 AM
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Hi Mike Cooper - A well deserved gold star!  We do need to diversify our blog "portfolio". You really capture the reasons why we should.

Mar 22, 2018 05:18 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Mike Cooper Excellent post glad Anna Banana Kruchten CRB, CRS, Broker  mentioned it as I too as well as Endre Barath, Jr.  would have missed it . Glad you received a Featured post it was well deserved

Mar 22, 2018 06:53 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Long may they live these posts, comments and blogs...

Mar 22, 2018 07:26 AM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543
Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 - Downingtown, PA
Selling the Main Line & Chester County

Good post, and reminder not to be focused on just one thing. 

Mar 22, 2018 07:27 AM
Jill Sackler
Charles Rutenberg Realty Inc. 516-575-7500 - Long Beach, NY
LI South Shore Real Estate - Broker Associate

I'm always surprised by the ones who have done well - not necessarily the ones you would have guessed when you were writing.

Mar 22, 2018 08:33 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Hi Mike

Glad to see this one featured, with some wise advice for those of us who have been around for a while and those getting started. I like having a variety of posts out there, and by the traffic it's clear readers appreciate the diversity too. The community /neighborhood posts seem to be some of the best for getting traffic over a long period of time.

Jeff

Mar 22, 2018 08:48 AM
John Wiley
Fort Myers, FL
Lee County, FL, ECO Broker, GRI, SRES,GREEN,PSA

Thanks for provoking our thinking.

When we look back we can see people were drawn to our post even when we thought it was not all that great.

Mar 22, 2018 12:24 PM
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

Anna Banana Kruchten CRB, CRS, Broker told us this post was worthy of a read - and she's right. I'm going to check mine out...

Mar 22, 2018 04:05 PM
Bill Dean
Haggerty Team St. Louis, Mo. - Fenton, MO
William Dean - Broker, Salesperson

Mike,

The #7 at the bottom of your post caught my attention and I searched for it and so glad I did!     That post is definitely TIMELESS!   Electrical backstabbing is a post worth repeating!!   THANK YOU! 

Mar 23, 2018 10:22 AM
Mike Cooper, Broker VA,WV

Bill, if I could have UL repeal a decision, it would be the backstabbing decision. I've seen more "almost" fires from that one wiring technique than everything else in my 40+ year career.

Mar 23, 2018 10:39 AM
Corey Martin
Martin Presence Group - Ruston, LA
Real Estate and Management Solutions

Blog posts are a lot like assets. Their value at any point in time is dependant on what kind of blog post it is (current or long term) and by how quickly it depreciates in value. Some depreciate like buildings while others depreciate like a brand new car you just rolled off the lot in. It all depends on the purpose and longevity of the post's information. Thank you for sharing. Great topic. 

Mar 23, 2018 10:42 AM
Mike Cooper, Broker VA,WV

Very true, Corey. Most short-term blogs are just that, for a short time. They might see a hit here and there, but they serve their purpose early.

Mar 23, 2018 10:50 AM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

This would be a good one for Newbies. Understanding the shelf-life of one blog post over another helps keep laser focus on timeless writing!

Mar 25, 2018 06:56 PM